Face to face consultation - Debbie and Bubble
Our lovely Irish Terrier Bubble was the quietest of her litter, she became a happy, sociable 4 year old, who fitted beautifully into our outdoor loving family.
A significant build was about to take place very close to our home, it required a construction site access which was laid within 12ft of our front door.
Overnight everything changed, both in and immediately outside of our home, smells, noise, vibration. The construction of the site access followed by the relentless convoy of numerous construction vehicles starting at 0730 every morning affected us as a family, but poor Bubble immediately showed signs of stress, panting, shaking. Things worsened quickly as she refused to go out, even into our back garden. It rapidly got to a point where we were unable to get her to leave the house, I resorted to carrying her across the road so that she could do her business and then she would pull and scramble back to the house as quickly as she could.
We tried everything we could think of, trying to encourage her out with treats; pulling her; taking her out in the car, but she was terrified and becoming more fearful and withdrawn.
The beautiful dog that had walked up and down Snowdonia in a day now wouldn't even walk down the road. We were struggling and heartbroken, she was becoming more stressed and her quality of life was diminishing, she was showing anxiety in the home and we were unable to get her out for walks, we were at a point of thinking, can she really live like this for another 2 years during the construction.
Sue Holloway has quite simply saved Bubbles life. She observed and read Bubbles body language suggesting we get some possible medical issues excluded and whilst acknowledging that we couldn't change Bubbles noisy environment, Sue gave us numerous suggestions to help change the behaviour Bubble was exhibiting as a result of it; an important aspect of this was suggesting ways to help her cope at home whilst also resetting our behaviour and the way we as a family, started her walks.
I immediately felt comfortable and confident with Sue's calm nature, knowledge and reassurance that this could be fixed and that we would get our Bubble back. Sue's suggestions of games, training, desensitisation, commands and tactics to distract has been immense. She supported us through setbacks, always explaining the behaviour and helping us to move forward. It took a year to be able to walk a mile from home, it was momentous, now another year on, although some noises can still be an issue, Bubble is pretty much back to herself. Employing the tactics we have learned from Sue has changed everything for Bubble and us as a family, she is happy again, keen to get out and growing in confidence, I would wholeheartedly recommend Sue as a behaviourist.
Testimonials
Remote Consultation – Jess and Trixie
I’ve learned so much over the last 6 months or so regarding Trixie’s fear of people. With the help of Sue, I’ve been encouraged with a plan of action to help Trixie with her anxiety by using easy-to-implement stress reducing games and daily structure changes. While I know that Trixie will continue to need slow, positive steps towards reducing her fear, this picture tells just how far she’s come. My son wasn’t able to come home for 3 years due to Covid restrictions and other commitments. Trixie is only 2 and had never met him. After only 3 days, she was comfortable enough to lean against him for head pats. Such a big accomplishment!
Living in America, I was unable to see Sue in person but her clear advice and comprehensive worksheets to support the modification plan, as well as her online support was amazing and I felt completely supported by her throughout.
Andy and Jane with Hazel
We asked Sue to help our two - and - a - half year old Sprocker Spaniel Hazel with her dog reactivity issues and general anxiety, especially on the lead or in new, unfamiliar places.
Sue began by teaching us very simple techniques that could be practised in the home which were aimed at engaging Hazel, building trust and confidence, whilst also providing a distraction when Hazel felt threatened. Sue then took these ideas outside, building on them, providing us with a number of 'nina moves' which we could do with Hazel to get her to focus on us and show her the value of being close. We found these techniques absolute game changers, particularly useful when approaching other dogs or when Hazel got stressed or nervous.
To help further with anxiety Sue studied video footage of Hazel and spoke to our dog walkers to better understand Hazel's motivations and fears. She then devised a simple plan to help Hazel with her nervousness - again based on rewarding Hazel when she interacted with us.
This work is continuing to bear fruit and as a result Hazel is a happier, more confident dog. Her reactivity is now almost zero, her recall improved and her anxiety in new places and on the lead greatly reduced.
Best of all we have a stronger connection with Hazel now. Sue has taught us to speak a little dog and Hazel how to speak a little human. She does all this force free and with relentless positivity and positivity.
Highly recommended!!
Rob and Toni Barker with Maverick
Our one year old Frenchie, Maverick, was suffering with slight separation anxiety whenever I was out of his sight for longer than a minute!
Sue was recommended to us and so I contacted her and she called me for an initial chat. From our initial chat I felt reassured that Sue would be able to help Maverick get through his anxiety and she most certainly has.
We had our first meeting, where it was very clear to see how knowledgeable Sue is with the behaviour of dogs and how much she cares and adores them. The feeling was certainly mutual where Maverick was concerned.
We had five sessions with Sue in total and we felt such reassurance after every single session. She taught us so much and gave us a real insight into how Maverick’s mind works! We hadn’t realised so much of what she told us but it all made perfect sense.
Maverick absolutely loved Sue’s visits and behaved impeccably for her, picking up what he was being told to do very quickly.
We are still working on his separation anxiety but following Sue’s guidelines every step of the way, which is certainly helping and we can see a vast improvement. His confidence has grown and although he doesn’t like it if I’m away from him for too long, he is certainly so much better than before we first met with Sue.
Thank you so much Sue for all your help and kindness. You are truly amazing and we certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone who needs some help with their four legged friend.
Toni & Rob Barker and Maverick of course xx
Cassie and Ted
Sue came highly recommended to us by a fellow competitor when I was spotted at a show having huge problems loading Red!
From the getgo Sue felt like a friend that I had known forever! She has a lovely, easy way about her and makes training and learning good fun. She's really knowledgeable but has an amazing ability to teach everything in a way that seems so simple and achievable, something I have not had before with other trainers I have used.
After 2 sessions the change in Ted was incredible. He now loads with no problem. I would never have believed I could achieve this so quickly but being coached through the steps by Sue was a fun challenge not a battle with Ted. My relationship with my horse and my understanding of him has deepened so much and I will be forever grateful to Sue for giving me these skills and belief in myself and my horse. Recommend 100%
